The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-03-30

what are the interacing relations and what is the
spirit in which are TO treat them.
Thou shalt love thy ghbor as myself" Self
love is made TO be the very model and type Of
that affection which you to give to all people
Then we know perfectly well that are afIianced
to yet higher beings than man and 10 the in
visible cosmos as well to the visible and
we cannot live when We are out of joint with
any of these relations in ourselves and TO our
neighbors and TO our God. Now, say It is reas-
enable that we should endeavor TO live after this
tvpe upon which we were created. Tins is reaS-
enable A great many men can, but. to the weak,
Christianity is nothing but priestcraft, and it is
not reasonable for man TO be damned because
he could not gulp and swallow all the dogmas and
all the forms. But that is wide of the mark
True Christianity means living in those relations
for which we were eated-harmonization of
ourselves. harmonization of our relations to our
fellow men. harInonization of our relation to the
invisible future And say that is reasonable: I
say than that, that it has in it the inherent,
the greatest amount Of happiness. For although,
for temporary reasons, man may defer to his
passions. taking the average and the whole life,
he loses rather than he is the loser now, but suf
fers then. man may think, because ne runs
through a dissipated period and then reforms,
that the dissipation is all over. No, no. no; the
causes sink under and run subterraneously, as it
were; and there is many man that has grumbled
at 43 years of age from the misconduct of -
years. You know that there are the seventeen
lie incubating in the ground for seventeen years:
then they hatch and come forth. A man may by
evil deeds lay the eggs that will hatch twenty
years after that, and as general truth think 1t
is demonstrate by actual observation and ex-
perience that the true happiness of a man
lies in that self control, in that virtue, in
that integrity, in that love power which
is the substance of religion itself 1t is not learn
ing your catechism, it is not learning your verses
of faith, it is not going through ecclesiastical
achievements Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God and thy neighbor as thyself.n Therefore
you must lift yourself and he that lifts himself
elbows, not by partially toward the lower and
worst features in himself, but toward his whole
self-the regent understanding, the moral power
and element and spiritual in him. Now. when a
man has this presented to him and he is urged to
enter upon Christian life as the only honorable
one the only one that has the greatest satisfac-
ton in it. the only that carries in it the idea
of duty and gratitude toward God, how thought
lessly men heed that. Tonight how many are
there of you that say in thus looking the
sphere of life-life to come: Il am resolved what
to do Bearing in mind what resolution means
and what it includes, how many men can say to-
night, YES, am resolved what to do There
are very we of you that would say, II am resolved
not to be Christian That is a very hazardous
thing. which very few men care to resolve. Men
may say. the other hand, II hope some time
TO be a Christian; feel sometimes as if I would
man wishes he had the products of industry. But
how many men are there here tonight that can
say, Il am resolved what to do, Il am resolved
what to do
Are you then resolved at once to become a
Christian? Can be a Christian at once! In one
sense, no; in another sense, yes. Nobody ever
learned trade at a blow, but he begin this
day; no man ever became q scholar by resolution,
but he never can become one without resolution;
it is a complex one and constantly repeating
one, ancllary resolutions unfolding the main one.
Are you resolved to be a Christian to this extent
4 viii begin to night? Il am resolved as far as
have light and as far as know my way am
determined, God knows l am determined to
square my life hereafter ON Christian principles.
am resolved TO be @ Christian man" Now, this
may include churches. / may be a Roman Cath
Ollie and resolve it, a Protestant and stay out of
that church, and stay out of any other church
This resolution doesn't mean will be q Christian
like to this scheme or that scheme. according to
this church or that church; 1t simply means in its
simplest FORM its primary condition, Il will reg
ulate my life, both inside and out, according to
the principles laid down for me by the Lord Jesus
Christ Is not that a very simple thing2 But
what does it carry with it? 1t carries in the first
place, this: Il viii therefore begin by excluding
everything that l know viii hinder this resolt-
ton: from consciously wicked way will begin
as q part of the fulfillment of this resolution; l
win stop" That is the meaning of the repent
ance John began and Christ took up Regent, for
the kingdom of heaven Is at hand; that is to saw
/ will get over every known wrong that is
inconsistent with this purpose that 1 have
formed; / going to live as a Christian
be that which know to be fundamentally wrong
/ shall carry out my resolution by repenting or
turning away from that And then, in the next
place. a resolution to be Christian applies I'M
mediately; it is not that viii be Christian next
year, or by and by, or long tfme-death, but it is
hPglQuinr N as ia rs
know how. righteous. Do you mean, then, to
take the steps that are necessary? Are you ready
to begin your attempt to live Christian life by
saying in sincerity, God, show the way; give
me thy helpt' Are you willing? Not to say your
prayers; there are a great many prayers said; &
great many too few prayers that are felt and moi
true. Is there sincerity in your would to God
that you have spiritual refilling and the sustain
ing power of the whole spirit, that you have the
| certainty that he was working in me to win and
to do his good pleasure. Are you ready to begin
| your Christian life then by opening the word Of
God and reading, not a chapter, nor a verse OF
two every day, but TO make 1t the line of your
counsel? When any great combination, scheme
| is being formed in New York-any syndicate
there is always lawyer and they will never take
| single step until they consult him. and he is
about all the while; he is the man of their coun
sci; it's complicated thing, and great deal de
ponds upon it, and they cannot afford to go wrong
line of your counsel? See what it says about lusts
about appetites what it says about crime and envy
| and jealousy and all i'll will and evil speaking
end all selfshness in its grasping moods. Are
| you willing 10 look through the New Tes
lament to see what the law of the Lord is
| Not by discussion. God will take care of his OWL
| defense and doesn't thank you for any help; mol
! has he envy occasion to thank anybody. Are you
willing to take the Bible just as q shipmastel
takes the charts When be leaves the last shore
light and takes his direction he says; Read
me direction two Of the sailing directions
| and then read me the draughtings inside agar
| and then again. They have no relation at all te
his course to his actual sailing; but he is not go
ing to read so many parts of his chart and of his
sailing directions. Why, no; he lays out his voy
| age from the beginning and every day he takes
| observations and then he checks down on the
| chart just where he is. At noon tomorrow ht
| takes another observation; not because there i.
any need of reading his chart. in reading any
book on navigation; not because he is studying
| astronomy for the sake of anything that is il
astronomy. He has got definite purpose in life
after which he sells his astronomy. and aftel
which he sells his books, or those which lay hi.
| course Are you willing to begin Christian
/ course and voyage by going to the word of Goo
/ to ascertain exactly what is expected of you
| both what you are to reject and what you are t.
adopte That is sensible, that is right resolving
according to practical basis and resolution. Or
on the other hand, are you, while you are weigh
| ing, that is, in yourself, are you saying t.
yourself: My other people of God got on tn,
best way. There is my father and mother Il
there were ever any Christians they were such
/ believe they were real Christians Now,
mans mother is infinitely more to him than til.
| Virgin Mary is TO any devout Catholic.
/ You come into the church because you fine
! sympathy there and kindly help there Are yot
/ willing to take advantage of all these kindl,
helps, so that you may be able to keep your pur
| pose and your wills Are you willing to begin i
nowy You don't need any more knowledge YOU
have been brought up in Christian knowledg,
from the very cradle; you have no bad associa
| tons, you have necessarily none by the average
but what Christian life was and Christian duty i
| there-there is no man here that needs TO hay,
additional instruction; he knows that he Is boup,
TO live ohediently to God and In love with Jesu
Christ. But can man come into-e state Of emo
| tions Can man by simply saying viii, feel
No, no; hut by saying viii feel he can take tn,
steps to feel. man shivers and says. Chill
| and fever are not agreeable; / am determined {.
get over them Well You cannot get over then
1 by determining it. but IL you will take quinin
enough you can. Now. let your purpose he no
| simply this, Il am resolved to be Christian
but Il am resolved so unostentatiousiy / an
| going TO feel myself for all the help can and al
| the Christian institutions that are necessary 70
my veal Now. that is practical, ann hat /
common sense as well moral sense Or ar,
| you going TO say, well, i win see about III
No. you won't, you know it. And that thin,
we have In our times. when a 10th debtor he ha
| given note not for the sake of paying deb
but for the sake of getting rid of paying it the.
put it on for four months and then they give an
| other note 1t is the greenback business. il
which they pay one note by giving another
There are multitudes Of people that form q reso
lutien for the sake of not fulfilling duty. and
man says. We'll, have made up my mind l an
going to be q Christian soon as get ready
When are you going to get ready It Ia
clouded your conscience and clouded your reasoa
now BY promising to do that. BY and by, whe1
the convenient time comes: and the devil viii Sc
to it that it never comes It Is resolution tina
simply means the feeling OF having done you